With no changes in the law, the Government will spend $328.5 billion in 2002, or $8,091 per beneficiary.

The ratio of workers per beneficiary may fall early in the next century to under 2, and shortly thereafter to just over 1.

An estimated 161 million people paid into the program and 57 million received benefits in 2012, roughly 2.82 workers per beneficiary.

Put another way, the amount the Government spends per beneficiary would rise to about $8,400 in 2002 from $4,800 now.

The Republican plan is to hold down spending so that in 2002, the cost will be $244 billion and the cost per beneficiary $6,700.

An estimated 156 million people paid into the program and 53 million received benefits, roughly 2.94 workers per beneficiary.

McAllen's costs, per beneficiary, were almost twice the national average.

And Medicare spending per beneficiary will have continued to rise.

Without the exceptions process, therapy services would be capped at an annual amount of $1,880 per beneficiary in 2012.

California, by contrast, spends less than half that per beneficiary.